Paralysis
by Aquamarinalea
Summary: Basically the story of what happened immediately after Tavros got paralzed. I know it's not a creative title, at least I didn't call it green.


Your name is Gamzee Makara, and like many nights, you find yourself sitting on the beach, waiting for your lusus. You were blindly hoping that the old seagoat might finally come home. You hadn't had any sopor since that morning, hoping to impress Goatdad but also preferring to be able to think by yourself. You've been out here for a few hours, and dawn was right around the corner. You have your handheld husktop on you but didn't really feel like chatting to anyone at the moment. Suddenly a beep tells you someone is messaging you. Thankfully its someone that doesn't irritate the fuck out of you in your semi-sober state. You pick up your PDA and look at the message from Tavros.

AT: hEY, uM, iF ANYONE GETS THIS

AT: i, uH, cAN'T FEEL MY LEGS, aND UH, i THINK I'M STUCK

Strange. It was a group message, almost as if he didn't care who answered, as long as it was someone.

TC: HeY mOtHeRfUcKeR, aRe YoU oK?

AT: oH HI GAMZEE, i UH, dON'T THINK SO

AT: i, uH, cAN'T MOVE

AT: cAN YOU COME OVER AND HELP ME?

AT: i UH, tHINK I'M NEAR YOUR HIVE

TC: WhErE aRe YoU tAvBrO?

AT: i'M ON THE BEACH BELOW THE CLIFFS, bY MY HIVE

TC: I'lL bE rIgHt ThErE

Worry went right through you. He shouldn't be near the ocean at all. Your flushcrush was in danger, and it didn't seem like anyone was rushing to help him. You stood up, taking one last glance at the ocean, hoping Goatdad might show up. As expected, he wasn't there. You take off running in the direction where Tav is and it takes you about fifteen minutes to get there. The sight of him breaks your heart. The tide's coming in and there are marks in the sand from where he's tried to pull himself away from it. You run right up to him, and kneel in the sand.

"Hey Gamzee" he says weakly. You pull up his chest so it's close to yours and hug him. You know if any seadwellers were near this beach he would have been culled. He's lucky to be alive and you sure as hell aren't going to let him out of your sight any time soon.

"I was so worried about you motherfucker." You run your fingers through his Mohawk, trying to reassure yourself that he's still alive. You can smell the dirt and saltwater on him; how long had he been out here? From the tatters in his Pupa Pan outfit, you assume it was a while. You pull away from the hug but keep your hands on his shoulders. "What are you doing out here anyway Tav?"

He looks unsure of himself, and a little embarrassed, but eventually he answers you. "I was, uh, flarping with Vriska, and she uh, kind of, pushed me off the cliff. Now I can't even move." Vriska did this? You would make that bitch pay sooner or later. How dare she hurt your Tavbro!

"Are you sure you can't move Tav?" You poked at his leg but he didn't even react. You'd seen trolls like this before. You hoped it wasn't what it looked like. "C'mon Tav, you gotta stand up!" You couldn't accept he was paralyzed. He wasn't going to get culled because of Vriska!

"I can't Gamzee! Its like there's nothing there!" You had to get him out of here. You could protect him from other highbloods but you couldn't outrun the sun and soon it would begin to rise. You had no choice but to take Tavros with you.

"Ok Tavbro, here's what we're gonna do." He looked at you uncertain, and perhaps you were acting a little too focused. The high was wearing off and that was as dangerous as anything else happening today. "I'm taking you back to my hive."

"Oh, no Gamzee you don't have to." He sounded nervous, he'd never been to your hive before and probably didn't want to inconvienence you. Too bad you weren't taking no for an answer.

"Tavros," He looked shocked then; you never used his full name. "We can't stay here." More confusion from your friend. "You are an injured brownblood near the motherfuckin ocean. If you stay here you are going to get killed motherfucker."

"Well ok, if you really want to." He looked down at the sand, not meeting your eyes. "But I'm not sure how we're going to get there. I can't move."

"Just leave that part to me bro." You stand, then bend down near your friend. You put one of your arms behind his back and one beneath his now useless knees. He lets out a little squeak of surprise when you lift him into the air and wraps his arms around your neck. If not for the situation, you'd probably laugh. Still, you can't help but notice how nicely he fits in your arms. You begin walking off the beach and Tavros seems surprised that you're still carrying him.

"Hey uh Gamzee it's kind of a long way to you hive and I know I'm kind of, uh, heavy…" He's muttering and you shake your head.

"I'm a lot stronger than you give me credit for Tav."

You spend the next half hour walking back to your hive with Tavros in your arms. You talk about his newfound disability, fiduspawn, your lusus, and other things, and all the while he never takes his arms from around your neck. If it were any other troll you'd feel threatened, but with tav it's a welcome gesture. By the time you get to your hive the horizon is beginning to lighten in the East and you know you need to get inside. You push open the door with your back and take him up to your respiteblock. You set him down in the horn pile and sit next to him, pushing your shoes off with your feet.

"What am I going to do now Gamzee?" He looked genuinely worried about himself for the first time that night, and you weren't surprised. You laid back in the pile and pulled him close to you, letting him bury his face in your side.

"You are going to stay with me until we can make sure no one's going to cull you." It was blunt, and not reassuring at all, but you knew it had to be said. Your heart broke when you felt the moistness of tears dampen your tshirt, and you wrapped your arms around his back, letting him cry. You stayed like that for about ten minutes, and the crying turned to hiccups, and the hiccups became yawns. "Hey motherfucker, perhaps we should be getting our wicked rest on. We'll figure all this out tomorrow."

"Wait, where will I, uh, sleep, Gamzee?"

"We can all up and share my 'coon, Tav. Its pretty big." It was true, you had a large recooperacoon, and the entrance was big enough that tav's head might fit inside if he wiggled around a bit.

"Are you sure about that Gamzee?" As an answer, you picked him up again, and carried him over to your recooperacoon, setting him on the floor.

"Now I can get you in there motherfucker, but we gotta take your clothes off first." Blushing a very bright brown, he slowly moved down to where his shirt was, and reached around himself. A zipping sound was heard and the Pupa Pan outfit became looser. He peeled it off of his arms, exposing his thin torso to you. You always wondered how he got his shirts off. Next came the rest of his outfit.

"Um, Gamzee, I'm not sure I can uh, get my shoes off." You looked down at his well tied shoes, resting on unfeeling feet. With a tug of the laces they came undone, and you slipped them off his feet with all the care you would for a princess. After some awkward wiggling around, he managed to get his pants and underwear off too, and now he sat in front of you, completely naked. His blush now covered most of his ears as well, and he was staring intensely at his feet.

"Your body ain't nothing to be ashamed about bro." You picked him up again and lined his feet up with the recooperacoon entrance, and began to slide him in. Then you got past his torso. "Look at me, motherfucker." It was a very awkward angle for his neck, but somehow he managed to fit his horns inside as well. You saw him curl up in the slime, reaching out to draw his legs to his chest. He looked like he was trying to disappear. You couldn't blame him with all that had happened recently. With a few tugs your own clothes came away, and you began to wiggle into the slime next to your bro.

"Come here Tav." You hold your arms out to him and he moves into you, burying his head in your chest. Before you know it he's crying himself to sleep, and you can do nothing but hold him and rub his back gently. You want to hold him and tell him he's loved. You yearn to kiss his tears away; wish you could keep him at your hive forever to protect him. One day you'll tell him how you feel. You lean forward and kiss his forehead gently. You think he smiled but its gone before you can really see. You whisper gently to him before going off to sleep yourself. "I love you Tavros."

Your name is Tavros Nitram, and you have royally fucked up. You are laying on a beach with sand in every part of your body. At least that you can feel. Your legs seem to have lost their function, and an unceremonious wiggling is the only way you can move yourself around. Tinkerbull left to go find someone when he realized nobody was coming to help you. To make things worse the tide is rising, and though you try to get away, the area around you is soon flooded as a wave washes over your entire body. You sputter as the tide recedes again and use your arms to push yourself further up the beach. Thankfully your PDA is waterproof. You quickly start a group message asking anyone who read it for help. It didn't work last time, but maybe now someone other than Karkat could help you. Honestly you don't expect them to, but to your surprise, you immediately get a response.

TC: HeY mOtHeRfUcKeR, aRe YoU oK?

AT: oH HI GAMZEE, i UH, dON'T THINK SO

AT: i, uH, cAN'T MOVE

AT: cAN YOU COME OVER AND HELP ME?

AT: i UH, tHINK I'M NEAR YOUR HIVE

TC: WhErE aRe YoU tAvBrO?

AT: i'M ON THE BEACH BELOW THE CLIFFS, bY MY HIVE

TC: I'lL bE rIgHt ThErE

Thank god it was Gamzee and not someone who hates you. You put away your PDA and close your eyes, waiting for your rescuer. You lay your head back and wait, hoping he gets here soon. About fifteen minutes later, you hear sand stirring accompanied by a gasp. You wince. You must look horrible; after all you'd been stranded in the sand for almost three hours. He rushes over to you and drops to his knees, then grabs you and hugs you tightly. "Hey Gamzee." You say weakly, just thankful to have somebody you know nearby.

"I was so worried about you motherfucker." You hug him back; the embrace a signal that you probably are going to live. You let him run his hands through your hair. He sounds like he thought you were dead. He pulls away from the hug, leaving you kind of cold. Thankfully he keeps his hands on your shoulders, which is more than enough for you. "What are you doing out here anyway Tav?"

Oh no, this was going to be awful. You are sure you are blushing a bright brown from the embarrassment at your situation, but he is looking at you expectantly, so you answer him, voice wavering as usual. . "I was, uh, flarping with Vriska, and she uh, kind of, pushed me off the cliff. Now I can't even move." You twiddle your thumbs, looking away from him. Everyone thinks you are a disappointment as a troll, and it upsets you that now Gamzee probably thinks so too.

"Are you sure you can't move Tav?" You see him frantically poking at your legs. He keeps touching you, but you can't even feel that. "C'mon Tav, you gotta stand up!"

You wish with all your heart that you could stand up. A range of emotions flash across the face of the troll in front of you. Fear, anger, worry; however, you can't tell towards whom they are directed. "I can't Gamzee!" Really, you've been trying to stand for hours. "Its like there's nothing there!" You look at him hopelessly, fighting back tears. If you cry you'll just seem even more pathetic than you already are.

"Ok Tavbro, here's what we're gonna do." Confusion washes over your face. Apparently he's already made a plan. "I'm taking you back to my hive." Oh.

You've never been to his hive before, and you aren't entirely sure how you'd get there. You know you could walk there from the beach, but you can't move your legs. "Oh, no Gamzee you don't have to." Best to redirect his bad idea before it backfires.

"Tavros," You look up at him. He called you Tavros. Not Tav or Tavbro. Its uncharacteristic of him and now you're the one that's worried. "We can't stay here." Doesn't he see that you really have no options. "You are an injured brownblood near the motherfuckin ocean. If you stay here you are going to get killed motherfucker." He said the words you'd been avoiding for so long. If a highblood like him, or a seadweller, saw you on the beach, injured and defenseless, you probably wouldn't survive the encounter.

Sometimes you just have no other option. "Well ok, if you really want to." You avoid looking him in the eyes at all costs. You guess it's time to state the obvious. "But I'm not sure how we're going to get there. I can't move."

"Just leave that part to me bro." He stands up, then bends over next to you. Gamzee puts an arm around your back, and then one under your knees, and you curse yourself because you can't even feel it. You let out an unceremonious squeal as you are lifted into the air, and immediately wrap your arms around his neck because you're really quite sure he might drop you. You know you are probably heavy. Is he really going to carry you all the way to his hive?!

"Hey uh Gamzee it's kind of a long way to you hive and I know I'm kind of, uh, heavy…" You mutter it quietly, not really wanting him to hear. If you were being completely honest with yourself, you really liked being so close to him.

"I'm a lot stronger than you give me credit for Tav." He's right. Sometimes Gamzee is so laid back that you forget he's a highblood, probably because he doesn't care.

It takes half an hour to walk back to Gamzee's hive, but you manage to keep the conversation going. The sun is going to rise soon and Gamzee is walking quickly to the hive, but you can't help but admire it on the way there. You knew the carpenter drones were more attentive to the highbloods but his hive is just magnificent. He pushes open the door with his back and begins ascending the stairs to where you assume his respiteblock is. He lays you down in his horn pile and you examine your surroundings. It's quite messy but you didn't expect Gamzee's hive to be a model of cleanliness. He flops down in the pile next to you and now that you are out of danger, your situation starts to really sink in.

"What am I going to do now Gamzee?" The troll in question didn't seem to have an answer. Instead he pulled you to his chest and hugged you again. You grabbed onto his t-shirt and hid your face in it.

"You are going to stay with me until we can make sure no one's going to cull you." It wasn't a reassurance about your predicament, but it was the only thing that could be said. You started crying, no regard now to how weak you may look. You wanted to look strong for Gamzee, wanted so desperately for him to like you, but just couldn't hold the tears back any longer. Eventually the tears turned into hiccups and he spoke again. "Hey motherfucker, perhaps we should be getting our wicked rest on. We'll figure all this out tomorrow."

It finally occurred to you that you'd probably be spending more than a few nights at Gamzee's hive. You used your communer powers to tell Tinkerbull you were alright. He's come find you in the morning, and you'd stay at Gamzee's hive together. One question remained. "Wait, where will I, uh, sleep, Gamzee?"

"We can all up and share my 'coon, Tav. Its pretty big." A million worries hit right there. Gamzee would see you naked, and you'd be in a recooperacoon together. Would your head even fit? Wasn't sharing a recooperacoon something for your moirail or matesprit? And he already had a moirail so…the very thought made your blood pusher beat faster and you started to blush.

"Are you sure about that Gamzee?" Instead of talking, he just picked you up again. He set you on the floor next to the recooperacoon and smiled.

"Now I can get you in there motherfucker, but we gotta take your clothes off first." You blushed even more, and were sure your ears were brown by now. But you had no other options. You reached around your back and started pulling down the zipper that was hidden in a seam. It was your secret to getting shirts off without going around your horns. When you took the shirt off you tossed it to the side, not expecting Gamzee to care. You looked up and saw him staring at you, then quickly looked away.

"Um, Gamzee, I'm not sure I can uh, get my shoes off." He immediately got to work, carefully taking your shoes off, as if they might break. Figuring you couldn't get any more embarrassed than you aready were, you clumsily wiggled out of your pants, then your underwear, setting them next to your Pupa Pan shirt. Needless to say, the costume was ruined. At least you had 27 more back at home. You sat there, completely naked, waiting for Gamzee to do something. You probably would have said something yourself, but the nights events had taken every ounce of self-confidence you had and squashed it like a bug.

"Your body ain't nothing to be ashamed about bro." This made you smile. Gamzee picked you up and leveled your feet with the recooperacoon entrance. Sliding you in, he managed to sink you into the slime up to your torso, then you had to stop. "Look at me, motherfucker." Looking at him was quite awkward considering where he was standing, and it was an odd angle for your neck. But surprisingly, that angle allowed you to slide into his recooperacoon with only mild difficulty. You reached out and pulled your legs to your chest to give him room to slip in next to you. A moment later, your lanky counterpart was sitting in the slime behind you.

"Come here Tav." He holds his arms out to you and you immediately join the hug. You bury your head in his chest and cry while he rubs your back gently. You are broken and exhausted, but you don't think you've ever been more comfortable falling asleep. You feel him kiss your forehead and smile, but quickly erase your expression so he doesn't know you were awake. One day you'll tell him how you feel. As you drift off you think you hear him say "I love you Tav." But that was probably just your imagination.


End file.
